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MormonVoices Decries Use of Proof-Texting in Attacks Against the Church

Posted on Apr 30, 2012

Salt Lake City, UT (PRWEB) April 30, 2012

MormonVoices, a volunteer group dedicated to correcting misstatements and misinformation about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, has published a statement decrying the opportunistic accusation that Mormon scripture condones racism. Some critics, knowingly or not, have recently popularized arguments that rely on proof texting, a logical error that takes a passage out of context and purports to prove a point that cannot be fairly supported.

“The Mormon church is not racist, and recent arguments that it is are incredibly irresponsible or disingenuous,” said Scott Gordon, a managing director of MormonVoices. “It is simply false to say that the verses of scripture quoted prove racism.”

John Lynch, another managing director of MormonVoices, observed, “The LDS church is welcoming and respectful of all people, as our scriptures teach. A complete and fair study of our scripture really doesn’t allow for any other conclusion.”

The MormonVoices article urges journalists and other commentators to avoid simply passing on proof texted arguments without providing the necessary context for understanding what the scripture actually says.

Gordon added, “There are plenty of knowledgeable Mormons, including here at MormonVoices, who would love to explain what we actually believe. The MormonVoices website also has great resources for understanding these issues. There’s no excuse for repeating a false argument without providing necessary context.”

The article, along with other information about Mormons, can be found on the MormonVoices website, mormonvoices.org.

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